The Times’ Fink Tank, a statistical analysis of team’s performances disassociated from league positions, revealed David Pleat should take more credit than he ordinarily might for Tottenham’s progress towards being a tough team to score against. It’s slightly surprising then, that he would like to see the England side, that stuttered into the World Cup Finals at the weekend, push 10-15 yards further upfield from the strikers back, and win the ball earlier.
"Attack can be the best form of defence," Pleat wrote in The Guardian.
"There might be more space behind but there is also less space for the opposition on the ball and England have the athleticism to squeeze the play effectively,"
"It leaves more space behind the defence but they can deal with that, and they would regain possession in better positions for counter-attacks and midfielders like Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard would be closer to goal for shots.
"Sitting too deep allows opponents to dictate the tempo and gave Austria as much possession as England. In my opinion they are playing with unnecessary caution and it's part of the reason they scored only three goals against Austria, Northern Ireland, Wales and Denmark, one a penalty," he added.